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VOLUME XCV — NUMBER XLIX
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Two county residents died in an early Sunday morning fire
on the Holland-Chattoogaville Road.
Authorities identifieg one of the men as Herman Fie, age 61.
The name of the second man, a sheriff's department spokesman
said, could not be released until relatives were notified. He was
described as a 64-year-old invalid.
The spokesman said the fire was discovered around 5 a.m.
Sunday by a woman passerby. The woman, said the spokesman,
went to a neighboring residence, awoke the occupants, and the
authorities were telephoned.
When firemen fll?om the Lyerly and Summerville Fire
Departments arrived, the spokesman said, the small frame
house was engulfed in flames and had already partially fallen in.
Firemen batt%:d the blaze for over three hours, but were not
able to extinguish the fire.
Authorities found the bodies of the two men lying on the
floor in front of a coal burning heater. The heater was connected
to the fireplace.
The heater was believed to have been the source of the fire,
the spokesman said. No foul play is suspected, he added. The
apparent cause of death, said the spokesman, was smoke
asph{xiation.
Blood samples were taken from the bodies and autopsy
reports are stifi pending from the state crime lab in Atlanta.
Funeral services for Fie were held in Waynesville, N. C., on
Tuesday, Dec. 23. Interment was also in Waynesville.
Fie was employed as a store attendant at the B & L. Kwik
Check Convenience Store in Holland.
The house and property, according to police reports, is own
ed by Bobby Bridges of Newnan.
Public Hearing Set
On County’s Budget
Local residents will be
given a chance to comment at
a public hearing scheduled
Monday on the county’s pro
nosed 1981 general operating
budget and the proposed uses
»f federal revenue-sharing
funds.
According to County At
torney Arch Farrar ‘Jr., the
hearing, the first of its kind,
has been called -in order to
comply with new state legisla
tion. Farrar said that the new
state law was prompted by
federal mandates in connec
tion with federal revenue
sharing funds.
The law, among other
thin%)s. requires that a propos
ed budget be prepared,
printed in the local
newspaper, and that a public
hearing be held to allow the
public to comment on it before
its adoption.
That groposed general
operating budget appeared in
a county advertisement in last
week’s edition of The News,
showing how the county an
ticipated to spend $2.1 million
in 15 general categories rang
Checking Account $$ Can Earn
Interest Under New Set-Up;
Bankers Tell How It Will Work
By PAM PURCELL
The o£tion to earn interest
on chec ini accounts will
soon be available to local con
sumers, however, the ‘str
ings” attached to the ac
counts could leave some
depositors with a loss instead
of a filain if they're not careful.
e NOW accounts —
which is short for "Negotiated
Order of Withdrawal’' — will
be offered to county residents
by the First National Bank of
Chattooga County and the
Farmers & Merchants Bank
beginning on Wednesday,
Dec. 31.
The policies governing the
new interest-bearing checking
accounts will vary From bank
ing institution to banking in
stitution and from city to city.
A depositor, as a general rule,
will have to keep a substantial
minimum amount in a check
ing account to avoid IJm%i,ng a
service charge. A NOW ac
count in some cases could cost
more in fees than a customer
would earn in interest if he
lets his balance drop too low
continually.
“The NOW account is not
really for everybody,” said |
The News Wishes Everyone A Merry Christmas
The Summeruille News
ing from ‘‘roads’’ (640,000) to
“forestry’’ ($10,947).
Also in the advertisement
was a breakdown of how the
county intends to spend its
revenue-sharing funds,
estimated to total $200,000 in
1981. That budget includes
six categories: fire depart
ment ($7,000), parks and
recreation ($30,000), in
dustrial development ($4,000),
{)ublic works ($110,000),
ibrary ($2,000) and general
finance and administration
($200,000).
Farrar said that the figures
shown above were purely
estimates because the county
has no way of knowing
presently how much funding
revenue-sharing will generate.
In the 12-month period en
ding Sept. 30 twelve general
areas were funded by the
county, with revenue-si)llaring
funds totaling $231,201.
Farrar noted that two addi
tional hearings will be held
later focusing on how the
county should spend those
federal funds.
The hearing will be held at
2 p.m. at the gourthouse.
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Jerrell McCool, president of
the First National Bank of
Chatwo%a‘a, County, explaininfi
how NOW accounts will wor,
at his bank. “If you don’t
have enough in your checking
account to maintain a $1,500
daily balance, you're better off
with a regular checkin‘gl ac
count. You use the NOW ac
count like a regular checking
account. There’s no difference
%her than it draws int.ereit.
e pay 5% percent on the
NO‘# accounts.
“In order to get interest on
your checking account your
daily balance must not drop
below $300,” continued Mc-
Cool. “If it drops below S3OO
you pay a $6 service charge
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA 30747, THURSDAY,. DECEMBER 25, 1980
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Star Of Hope
The Star of Hope shimmers atop a Christmas tree
decoration in downtown Summerville, reminding us of
that cold night nearly 2,000 years ago when Jesus
Christ was born to a young peasant woman in a stable.
The Bible says wise men were miraculously guided to
Christ’s birthplace in Bethlehem by following the light
of ‘“‘His star in the East.”’
Holiday Closings
Municipal and county
government offices will close
today at noon and will remain
closed the rest of the week in
observance of the Christmas
holidays.
Summerville City Hall will
close at noon today, Dec. 24.
They will be closedy Thursday
and Friday for the holidays.
Garbage will be picked up as
usual on Wednessay. Garbage
normal{fr picked 13) on Thurs
day will be picked up on Fri
day.
The Summerville Recrea
tion Center will be closed
Thursday, Friday and Satur
day in observance of the
Christmas holiday.
and earn no interest. If it
stays between S3OO and
$1,500, you pay a $6 monthly
service charge and draw in
terest. When you maintain a
$1,500 or more dailfy\' balance
there is no service charge and
you still draw interest.’
McCool exé)lained that it is
up to each individual bank as
to how they structure the
NOW account program. The
banks are not required to pay
5Y4 percent on the interest, he
said, but the First National
will, as will Farmers & Mer
chants Bank. New federal
regulations effective Jan. 1
are prompting commercial
banks all over the United
States to offer. NOW ac
counts.
“A real advantage of the
NOW account is that it works
for people who have a regular
or passhook savings
account,” McCool said. “‘lf
thefi have-.a savings account
with 81,500 or more, they can
transfer it to the checking ac
count. They will be eaming
the same interest rate an
they'll have a savings account
they can draw checfis on.
“However,"”” continued Mc-
Cool, ‘“‘there are a couple of
The Town of Trion will be
closed Thursday and Friday
for the holidays. Garbage nor
mally picked up on Thursday
and Friday wilf be picked up
on Wednesday.
The Trion Community
Center will be closed Thurs
day, Friday, Saturday and
Sunday in observance of
ChrFi‘stmas. ”
or any emergency calls
for the T);ion Gas I)Separt
ment, Iget in touch with the
Trion Police Department and
they will contact the proper
person,
The Chattooga Count
Courthouse and annex wiii
see HOLIDAY, page 3-A
disadvantages to the NOW ac
counts. The NOW accounts
can not be assignable (used as
collateral) on a loan. Another
disadvantage is the monthly
service charge, especially if
the account drops below a
S3OO daily balance.”
McCool said an estimated
15 to 20 percent of his bank’s
customers would probably
change to a NOW account.
Following a feasibility study
by the bank on its customers,
he added, it was found that
many people maintain S3OO or
less in their checking account
at some point in the month.
They use their checking ac
count mainly for paying
household bills, he said. Not
everybody that has a checking
account has a savings ac
count, too, noted McCool.
“The NOW account is not
for everybody,” repeated Mc-
Cool. “'lf a person 1s consider
ing changing to a NOW ac
count and isn’t sure, they can
come by the bank and we'll
help them analyze their
statements to see if it is for
them. If it’s for them, then
we'll tell them.”
Henry Watson, president
see CHECKING, page 3-A
City Taxes Will Go Up
Despite Millage Rollback
Mayor Sewell Cash, clari
fi;mg action taken recently b
the Summerville City Counci{
said Thursday that city tax
payers can expect a mod{st in
crease in their 1980 city taxes.
But he emphasized that
the council was not responsi
ble for the increase, explaining
that the state-requirecr 26 per
cent assessment increase pgnc
ed on the county tax digest
this year is the culprit.
At The News' request, the
mayor ;;lrovided a comparison
which shows how the increase
will affect the city taxes paid
on a medium-price home.
EXAMPLE GIVEN
The mayor said that a
home with a $19,943 valuation
carried a city tax of $103.70
last year. 'l‘llllis year the same
roperty will get a propert
gax bil{ of sllß.lO, a digt
ference of $14.60, or a 12.2
percent increase.
That increase comes in
spite of the recent council ac
tion lowering the millage rate
from last year's 5.2 mills to
the 1980 millage rate of 4.7
mills.
By law, the mayor noted,
the council was not obligated
to lower the millage rate this
year and could have left 5.2
mills in force. But the council
chose, he said, to try to offset
the new 26 percent higher
valuations by lowering the
millage rate, but ran into a
problem.
That problem, he said, is
that utility valuations are set
by the state and not fiy the
Iymty. As a result, when the
' fliacge'rate was rolled back,
the City in effect “‘lost’ part
of its property taxes
generate(r from utilities
{whose valuations weren'’t
raised by the 26 percent fac
tor). The result was that the
more the millage rate was
lowered, the more taxes had to
be generated from other sec
tors to make up the difference.
He said one utility, as an
example, paid the city $10,443
in taxes this year; with its
state-set valuation the same
as last year, and because it
was unaffected by the 26 per
cent factor, the utility will see
its tax bill reduced by nearly
SI,OOO, he explained.
The mayor said that he and
other cit}\: officials worked
“two or three days’’ in an ef
fort to see if a full mill could
Woman Vietim
Of Robbery;
Purse Taken
A local woman was the vic
tim of an armed robbery late
Sunday night on a Summer
ville store parking lot.
Mrs. ’lPiny Reynolds of
Route 4, Summerville,
reported to the Summerville
Police Department that
around 11 p.m. Sunday so
meone robbed her at gunpoint
while she was leaving the Pay
& Tote parking lot on Georgia
Highway 114.
Mrs. Reynolds, according
to the police report, was in her
automobile ietting ready to
leave the par infi lot when so
‘meone opened her car door,
K;zlled a gun and demanded
rs. Reynolds’ money bag,
the report said.
Mrs. Reynolds said she
answered that she didn’t have
a money bag, said the report,
and the mugger then snatched
her ehoulderiag before escap
ing on foot beside of the store
and down the railroad track.
The robber, the report said,
was described as small and
wearing a ski mask.
Mrs. Reynolds’ purse was
tan in color with two burned
places on the back, said the
report. It contained an
estimated SBO in cash, her
driver's license, insurance
cards and several other items.
As of Tuesday afternoon
no arrests had been made in
connection with the incident,
The police department is still
investigating, said the report.
come off the millage rate, but |
found that such a move |
wouldn't %enerate sufficient |
funds for the city's projected i
budget, which i;e said has
Frown some 10 percent over
ast year,
T{e 4.7 millage rate, he
said, will generate $230,000 in
tax money for the general
fund. Some $400,000 in’
revenues — malt beverage
taxes and federal revenue
sharing funds, for example —
will also Eo into the general
fund for the year, making the
expected general fund budget
$633,458.
DEFICIT PROJECTED
Even with the tax increase,
the mayor said, City officials
project the general fund will
show an ‘‘on pager" deficit of
$164,000, which the mayor
said will probably be balanced
through transfers from the
natural gas department and
other measures.
The malf'or said that while
the council found that a one
mill reduction wouldn’t
generate enough taxes to run
the city, the one-half mill will
bring in some $20,000 more
than 5.2 mills did last year,
not $6,000 more as estimated
by a council member at an
earlier meeting.
The principle reason for
the tax increase, the mayor
maintained, is the disparity
created when the City rolled
County Offices To Close
On Saturdays, Be Open
All Day On Wednesdays
County Commissioner
Wayne “get,e" Denson an
nounced Thursday that effec
tive Jan. 1 county offices will
be closed on Saturdays but
will remain open until 5 p.m.
on Wednesdays.
For years county offices
have been closed on Wednes
day afternoons, allowing them
to be open for four hours on
Saturday mornings. But after
consulting with other elected
office heads, Denson said it
was decided that it was in the
best interests of the county to
Speaker: Newsmen
Reflect Public
Apathy On Cancer
Both the media and the
general public have become
apathetic about the war on
cancer, a speaker told a local
group last week, a trend that
must be reversed if that war is
to be won.
Speaking to the
Summerville-Trion Rotary
Club last Wednesday, Pat
Montgomery of Rome noted
that various forms of cancer
kill hundreds of thousands of
Americans each year yet for
the most part apathy sur
rounds the problem.
He said the media have
been lax, citin&; as an example
how an area daily newspaper
“‘buried”’ an informative piece
on cancer research by putting
it on a back page.
Montgomery, who serves
as the Georgia Area 1 educa
tion crusade volunteer chair
man for the American Cancer
Society, said, however that
the media’s lax attitude
reflects a general trend among
most Americans to ignore the
problem.
“It's not the media’s fault;
it’s our fault,” he said.
It's time for Americans to
wake up to the fact that
cancer is this nation’s leading
child killer and that a concen
trated, united effort is needed
to overcome it, he said.
back its millage rate to com- |
pensate for the assessment in- |
creases — and as a result had |
to drop the millage rate on the |
utility companies — who were ‘
unafi}t;cted by the across-the- |
board assessment increase.
“If the factor had not been
increased, a city taxpayer |
would have paidv the same |
amount in taxes as last year,”
the mayor said. “We have 1
{;iven him a half of a mill |
yreak and the reason we did }
not give any more of a millage
cut is that the more Lfie
millage rate is reduced, the
more we reduce what we
receive in taxes from the ’
utilities.
“The point I want to make i
is that the city did not in-,‘
crease these taxes. We reduc
ed it (the millage rate) as low l
as we could so as not to bring
in a lesser amount of money
than last year.”
He said it was an “‘unfor- |
tunate’’ situation that the
state uses the factoring
method because it penalizes
both those property owners
whose properties are under
valued as well as those whose
gmfierty is correctly on the
ooks at fair market value. |
Even with the increase in
city taxes, he said, a com
parison of the taxing rate
other cities in the area would
i;how Summerville's rates are
ow.
close on Saturdays and keep |
regular office hours on
Wednesdays.
As in the past, of course,
the sheriff's ogice will remain
(l)fen 24 hours a day, he noted.
e also stressed that during
the peak tag season the coun
ty tax commissioner's office
will be open on Saturdays.
Special hours will also be ar
ranged for the registrar’'s of
fice, he said, prior to elections.
Residents who must attend to ’
county business and who can
not {)e available during ‘
the regular work week can |
make special arrangements |
with the appropriate office. l
Denson said the decision to !
close on Saturday and to stay
open until 5 ‘i).m. Wednesday |
was prompted by two reasons: |
the new schedule is more |
economical, and few residents |
visit county offices on Satur- |
day morning. |
“Once you get here to the |
Courthouse ang (i;et it heated
or cool (on Saturdays),”” he ex
plained, “it's time to go
Trion Natural Gas
Increase Adopted
Trion’s natural gas
customers will be paying 61
cents more per thousand cubic
feet consumption effective |
Jan. 1. ;
The decision to raise rates |
came Thursday during the |
monthly meeting of the mayor |
and council and reflectex nl
hi%her wholesale rate which
wi 1&10 into effect that date.
e council voted to “‘pass
on” the rate increase to
customers at the recommen
dation of its natural gas con
sultant,
According to Mayor Jake
Woods, the Town uses a
sliding scale to determine a |
customer’s rates. On the |
average, he said, one MCF |
PRICE 20¢
“We are not going to sit
here and simply raise taxes to
operate the general fund,” the
mayor said. ‘‘This is my feel
ing and I think that of the en
tire council — that we want to
make it as fair as we can,
although it's almost impossi
ble wit.i the tax system as it is
at this time. We have to ac
cept that it takes so much to
operate the city. Manpower
wise we have 13 manhour jobs
less than a few years a¥o. I
could give you a lot of ex
amgles of how we've curtailed
in the last three years — we've
been tightening up and cut
ting bacLl'(. but o% course peo*;le
expect so much service for
their taxes.”
Store Burglarized;
Suspect Arrested
Authorities arrested Tom
my Powell, age 24, of 11
Frank St. Friday and charged
him with burg{ary. He was
lodged in the jail in lieu of a
SIO,OOO bond.
According to a Summer
ville Police Department
spokesman, Officer Gene Nix
was on routine patrol around
12:30 a.m. Frigay when he
discovered the front door
Elass at the Piigl&' Wiggly
rocery on North Commerce
Street had been broken out.
see STORE, page 5-A
home."” As a result, he said,
the new schedule should cut
the fuel bill at the Courthouse
and the tax collector and
assessors’ offices across the
street,
““We don’t mind being here
on Saturday,” he saidg. but
because so fiw residents tran
sact county business then, it
hardly seems worth it.
“’lxhis past Saturday we
had not the first call or person
come by the commissioner’'s
office,” {w went on. ‘‘Basically
every Saturday is like that."”
He noted that the work
camp can be contacted 24
hours a day by calling
867-1022 when an emeriency
or problem develops, such as a
tree falling over a road.
“We're not trying to fix
people where Lhely; can't do
their business with the coun
(L‘y, but at the same time we
ecided it would be in the best
interests of everyone to close
on Saturday.”
Most counties in this area
do the same, he said.
runs about $3.
Using that figure, the new
gas increase would equal a
17.2 percent increase.
It was brought out during
the meetingothat the Town’s
supplier, uthern Natural
Gas Co., had recently also im
posed an 80-cent increase on
the City of Summerville. The
municipalities are under a dif
ferent gas schedule, which ex
plainecf why different rate in
creases were put in effect.
The mayor noted that ias
prices have fluctuated this
year and that for the calendar
year the Town had experienc
ed a net increase of 42 cents
per MCF. The system has
1,012 customers.